1612 replies to this topic

[ladym]

Thread to discuss this season's Russian ballroom dancer, Pasha Kovalev.

He's been partnered with fellow Top 20er Anya Garnis for the last 9 years.

I think he presents an interesting figure in that he's the only male in the Top 20 that has extensive partnering skills. Neil might have some, if he was in the right shows on Broadway, but the rest of the guys seem to have minimal, if any, experience in leading a partner.

[Zigzag]

After reviewing Wednesday's show, I noticed that Pasha was not that bad during the Shane Sparks routine. He was struggling, but he was definitely better than Dmitry ever was. So, he might be fine if he has to do a hiphop routine this week. I said he might.

That being said, on a shallow note, he is yummy!

Edited by Zigzag, Jun 11, 2007 @ 6:22 PM.

[trojanchick99]

My only complaint about this performance was the presence of a shirt on Pasha. He had better be shirtless next week.

[EmpressI]

They give the hot latin Russian dancer a standard dance? Blasphemy!

Where is my shirtless Pasha? He better be doing latin next week!

[setsuna]

Does anyone know, are he and Anya a couple in real life? They don't seem to be from the candid clips, but I'm curious given that they've stuck together for so long.

[TwistTie]

Pasha falls just a little short on the hotness scale from Dimitri and not because he's wearing a shirt. I do find him attractive until he smiles. A bit of a case of hot russian body, british teeth

[ShadowyMoon]

His whole "Pasha + Russia - easy to remember!" was adorable. I don't care if he takes of his shirt; he's completely endearing and awesome fully clothed. He also physically reminds me so much of a young Barishnikov, and also a little bit of figure skater Alexei Yagudin.

[ReiaLee]

Aw, Pasha's adorable. I love that he can be both HOTTT and cute. I mean, when he came through the black curtain after he found out he was in the top 20? That was the most adorable thing ever, the way he just smiled with his entire face and pumped his fists happily.

[MarkC99]

He does remind of a young Barishnikov.

He has a great sense of humor, a good personality, and he's an amazing partner. So no wonder he got stuck with someone most viewers hate. You can almost bet that the first time they're in the bottom three, they will have him go and her stay.

I very much liked that in his intro dance he didn't do the usual ballroom moves, he was trying his own style, as he was when he moonwalked in his final solo before they chose the top 24.

Edited by MarkC99, Jun 14, 2007 @ 4:32 AM.

[CassandraRedux]

His whole "Pasha + Russia - easy to remember!" was adorable.

Very adorable. I wonder if he hears a rhyme there that to native speakers isn't quite there.

I'm already stressed that he's going to get hip hop next week.

[suprheath1]

I officially fell in love with Pasha from Russia last night. I'm going to call him that for the rest of the season.

It's unfortunate that he's stuck with my least favorite person on the show.

And I TOTALLY see that he looks like Ben McKenzie...anyone else??

[legaleagle88]

...also a little bit of figure skater Alexei Yagudin.

Last night, I said that he reminded me of a cross between Victor Petrenko and Alexei Yagudin. :)

I actually don't mind his teeth. I find the gap quite charming. ;) And, he's a fabulous dancer. Color me impressed.

[JenTG]

LOVE Pasha! May not be as traditionally hot as Dmitry and Artem, but he's an incredibly strong dancer and is actually ranked higher in the latin dance world than the other two. He also is just a superb partner who knows how to present a female dancer.

[JoannaOC]

Pasha sold the waltz last night to folks who usually think it's "meh" because he is both a terrific partner and utterly charming all on his own. I liked the fact that he didn't mug for the votes. The glimpses I got of his dancing in the group number tonight make me think he's going to be fun to watch in other styles.

[kristywoods]

He reminds me of Kyle XY.

[Hasienko]

LOVE Pasha! May not be as traditionally hot as Dmitry and Artem, but he's an incredibly strong dancer and is actually ranked higher in the latin dance world than the other two. He also is just a superb partner who knows how to present a female dancer.

I actually like Pasha much more than Artem, Artem was a bit of a buttaface. Now Dmitry I loved but he had this persona where he totally knew he was sex on legs. Pasha just has this adorable charm, and he just comes off as such a sweet guy. I was really impressed with what I saw of him in the group number tonight, I think he can be more versatile than the judges are giving him credit for.

[JenTG]

I was pleased to see Pasha do so well in the opening number tonight. I really hope it translates into his other numbers because I want him to stick around as long as possible.

[MarkC99]

I'm feeling strange about Pasha because he doesn't have the body flashing or the outgoing personality of Artem and Dmitry, but I am more attached to him, after only a few weeks, than I was to Artem or Dmitry. He seems so cuddly and so solid, someone you would want to put his arms around you. He also has such a handsome face and good sense of humor.

[crackinup]

*Stopping by to purchase my ticket to the "Pasha is so much more appealing than Artem and Dmitry" love train*

So adorable and talented without the air of aloofness that seemed to emenate from his predecessors. He's sexy because he just is, not because he tries to be. Love that.

[english toffee]

Oh he's so gorgeous and sweet and sexy. When he smiles it's just like... arrrgghghghgh

[CassandraRedux]

He has this air of being a man among boys that is so appealing. I liked his reaction to Jessi's hat falling off her head during their we're safe! hug.

I was pleased to see Pasha do so well in the opening number tonight. I really hope it translates into his other numbers because I want him to stick around as long as possible.

ITA. Watched his part several times, and he's solid with the Wade choreography.

[mosephy]

Yeah, I'm down with the Pasha. I am a bit of a sucker for the Russian dancers in general, but he was just so adorable. There is totally something to be said for a guy who wears a tie to rehearsal.

So yeah, excellent partner, very genuine, blah blah blah lovecakes.

[ReiaLee]

I was thinking the same thing about the tie, actually. Do you think he wore it just so he could adjust it when he said "feeling upscale"? Hee.

But it did look weird next to Jessi's casual top and skirt.

[Zengar]

Hi I am new to SYTYCD. Many of my favorite shows are taking summer breaks so I thought I check this out and was pleasantly surprised. Pasha's ballroom dance with Anya in the audition was what got me notice him. It was very good and not too flamboyant, which is usually what puts me off when watching ballroom dancing. No other dancers has impressed me during audition yet. I don't know if I am ready to dive in at this point. I might have to watch few more episodes to decide. From the audition, the judges didn't seem to be impressed with his non-ballroom performance.

My question is, do ballroom dancers like Pasha really have a chance to win in this competition? I didn't watch season 1 or 2, but reading other threads, I get the impression that hip-hop or street dance is more preferred toward the end of the competition.

[kalystia1983]

I'm hopping on the Pasha love train too! I was discussing the show the other day with a few people and they all told me that they thought the Waltz was bad becuase it was so easy. I was trying to explain it only looked easy becuase Pasha was that good, and that if a non-ballroom dancer had gotten that dance it would have been a mess. I love Pasha! He really does make it look soooo easy.

And Zengar, last years winner was a West Coast Swing dancer, so a ballroom dancer could possibly win...at least I hope they can!

[NaturalTop]

In my opinion, the Waltz was very easy choreography: travel-lite and pose-heavy. But that's okay with me. Tony did his job well. I think Jessi did actually do a bit more Waltz than Travis last year.

[Thena]

Hey, I can see the Ben McKenzie and Baryshnikov resemblance. I'm not much for the Russian skaters though. I remember Dmitry too, but I'm more attached to Pasha after one show. He's talented enough, but there is something so hot about his actions sometimes. I think it's as someone said above: "the man among boys thing". He just gives off the balance of mature and confident dancer while being unabashedly cute and genuine.

[possibilities]

He reminds me of Kyle XY

That's hilarious! I never would have thought of it myself, but I see what you mean-- it's the way his smile stretches horizontally, plus how he somehow seems so genuine yet also a bit reserved.

[provencal]

He strikes me as a gentleman. A goofy one, maybe. Nice qualities. Plus when he dances, he really focuses on his partner.

[RyanCrowell]

I can't help feeling sorry for Pasha. As far as I can tell, he doesn't believe in making a fool of himself during rehearsal clips of while Cat is giving the phone number, or pretending his partner is his fantasy girlfriend. This means he won't get the votes one gets from such behavior. The other males are more extroverted, and he's also working against expectations from the audience who expect him to be outgoing and tear open his shirt like Dmitry did last year. His wife Anya might overshadow him (like when people were drooling over her short skirt in their audition), and the judges might want to get rid of him as soon as possible because they don't want Anya and Pasha to be paired up.